Former DuPage board chairman ends state treasurer bid

Former DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, seen here in 2010, won't run for state treasurer. (Antonio Perez)

Former DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom ended his exploratory bid for state treasurer Thursday and said he is endorsing outgoing House Republican leader Tom Cross for the post.

Schillerstrom, who ended a run for the 2010 Republican nomination for governor shortly before the primary, said he was dropping his bid for treasurer in an attempt to avoid a contentious primary that would hurt the eventual GOP nominee in the general election.

“Well, obviously, we can’t afford to fight amongst ourselves,” Schillerstrom said. “The important thing, I think, is winning the general election. That’s really what Republicans have to look at doing. I’ve talked a lot about not having divisive primaries and working together.”

Schillerstrom called Cross, of Oswego, a “strong fiscal conservative” and “the best candidate out there.”

Schillerstrom, an attorney from Naperville who headed the DuPage County Board from 1998 to 2010, launched his exploratory bid in June and had lined up 50 backers, including former U.S. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and several state legislative and area county officials. Hastert has been a close Cross ally.

Cross had considered a run for attorney general but moved to the treasurer’s race when Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan opted to seek re-election rather than make a bid for governor. The state treasurer’s office will be open in 2014 because first-term Treasurer Dan Rutherford is seeking the GOP nomination for governor.

Though Schillerstrom has bowed out, the potential for a primary remains. DuPage County Auditor Bob Grogan of Downers Grove is continuing his campaign for the GOP nomination.

In 2010, Schillerstrom ended a Republican governor bid before the primary but after it was too late to remove him from the ballot. He ended up with 7,420 votes. Sen. Kirk Dillard, a fellow DuPage Republican governor candidate, lost the primary by 193 votes to Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington. Brady went on to lose to Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, helping Democrats keep control of state government.

That Democratic control of the governor's mansion, House, Senate helped the party draw a new map designed to elect Democrats that led to major losses in congressional and state legislative contests for the GOP.